The Tea Trail

Nyaabagam Varuthe! Nyaabagam Varuthe!!

Mullai walked out of the room in a daze..

Parvathy: ahn naane koodanumnu nenaichen..saappaadu ready..oru 15-20 nimishathula saapdalaam..ulai oorattum..athu varaikum inthaa nandu rasam 2 perum konjam kudinga..

Mullai took the glasses and left to the room

A half an hour later they went out

Mullai had the second shock

Kathir was shocked too

Kathir : ethukku ore aalaa ivvalavu senju irukkeenga..simple ah senja poraatha

Parvathy : ithulla enna irukku..nalla saapdunga

But Mullai was shocked seeing the items on menu

Mutton sukka, sura puttu, meal maker, rice, chicken kozhambu, paruppu paayasam and vaazhappo vadai...

Everything that he liked..how did his mom know..

She sat looking shocked and felt a small shift in her world..a shift that filled her heart with so much of happiness

They relished the lunch..

Everytime Parvathy tried to get up and serve him something Kathir told her he would serve himself..but to no avail..finally she plonked herself next to him leaving Mullai and her dad to tend for themselves

Soon lunch was over..Kathir got up to wash his hands and took his plate with him..

Parvathy tried to stop him

Mullai : vidu ma..avuha plate vittuttu poga maattaaha..appudi oru pazhakkam..

Kathir froze when she said this...all those days when she had patiently reminded him..no washing hands in the plate..plate to be left at the backyard..it all came back in a rush

Parvathy : nalla pazhakkam thaan..athukkunnu virunthukku vantha koodavaa

Kathir : athu pazhakkam aayiduchu..parava ille

Mullai : vidu ma..athai chinna vayasulaye solli kuduthuttaanga pola..

Kathir : smiled..amaam athai thaan..

Mullai looked up at him and was surprised to see him and Parvathy looking at each other

Kathir left and Mullai who was still in shock

Mullai : neeya..

Parvathy just smiled at her

Mullai was in a daze...oh she did remember him coming to her house..playing with him..arguing..crying..laughing..oh so much of laughing and giggling..but she had been too young to understand the depth of the bond between her mom and him..so all this was a shocker

After lunch they went to the room..

Mullai : konjam thoongunga..

Kathir didn't need a second invitation

Mullai straightened the bed thinking about how he had helped take everything back to the kitchen and how he seemed to know his mom's way of doing it...

—-she always transferred leftovers to smaller vessels so they would occupy lesser space...he seemed to know
—he knew that she tried to stack vessels one on top of the other..takes up less space and plates to be washed were lesser since you used one to cover 2 dishes...
—she never left the ladles in the vessels..they were promptly put to wash..the dishes were never fully covered she would argue..he knew that

With all these thoughts swirling in her mind..she sat while Kathir slept almost instantaneously..this was the second hearty meal he was having in a long time..and he was sleep deprived too